How to hang a deco cylinder?

[Beau640]

The one I saw was hanging from a buoy and that line was connected to the anchor line with a "jon line" type connection. We stayed on the anchor line but the deco weasels moved across the "jon line" to their own line/buoy that had the tanks hanging.

This is how i've seen it as well. Don't have to make it over complicated. People that actually need it can follow the line from the anchor line to the buoy around 15 feet to get the gas if they actually need it.

 

[stuartv]

This is how i've seen it as well. Don't have to make it over complicated. People that actually need it can follow the line from the anchor line to the buoy around 15 feet to get the gas if they actually need it.

That is definitely another option I will consider.

Really, I just want to have some reasonable options to propose if the teams or the boat captain doesn't already have a plan on how to do this. Which, as I said up front, they probably do. The boat is a 6-pack that regularly does tech trips, so I can't imagine this will be something that haven't done plenty of times before. That said, they might not have done it a lot. And, even if they have a way they normally do it, I might end up with an idea from talking to you all that is a better one than however they have been doing it.

I'd rather think it through and have a good idea or two now than wait until the weekend of the trip to have to figure something out...

 

[Beau640]

Rather than needing a separate buoy you might be able to just drop a line with tanks hanging on it over the side and tie it to a rail pretty much right next to the anchor line and then have the lines connecting them so you know they aren't far away. But don't quote me on that i'm not a boat operator and don't know the logistics of doing that.

 

[Miyaru]

Prior to a week of wreckdiving, we were discussing the same issue. The idea was to run a separate line from the buoy down to 21m, make loops to clip a tank on it, and then attach the last piece of line to the buoy line.
However, on the divesites it was too busy with rec divers. We didn't trust it. One some dives we simply took the backup on a leash, on some dives it stayed on the boat, with instructions to drop it if asked for with a yellow smb.

Now on one dive, we used a bunch of smb's to bring up an anchor (liftbag was gone). The only one I had left was a yellow/orange smb, which I deployed at 30m to start our stops. Once we arrived at 21m, we saw an EAN50 tank hanging right next to us. The captain was in doubt about the yellow color, so dropped the tank anyway. At exactly 21m. The guys on the boat have to be part of your plan.

 

[stuartv]

I talked to the leader of this whole trip yesterday and proposed using color-coded SMBs. He immediately shut down that idea as being too complicated and too much of a PITA to manage when also doing multiple gas switches. An unnecessary extra task.

It seems like a good idea, to me. Quicker and more reliable communication to the boat than having a support diver (me) meet them and then ascend if I need to tell the boat something. Shoot a bag at the start of the ascent and then take turns holding the reel as the other team member(s) does any required gas switch.

But, I AM the monkey and this ain't my circus....

When it's MY trip to dive the Monitor...

 

[Miyaru]

For what it's worth, this was the dive plan the guys had on the boat:

• emergency phone numbers, nearest recompression facility
• complete plan with depths/stops/runtime, laminated
• 1st SMB deployed @18m (after 1st gasswitch)
• 2nd SMB deployed @6m
• all SMBs are orange
• yellow SMB: go to the SMB and check if a slate is attached with our notes on it.
• two orange SMBs in a V-shape: same as yellow SMB (2nd orange SMB is sent up on the same line)

The guys on the boat knew how to read a plan, understood which gasswitches were required and why. They timed our dives, knew at which depths we were and when we surfaced, accurate to the minute. The SMBs were an excellent signal to see if we had diverted from the plan.

 

[stuartv]

For what it's worth, this was the dive plan the guys had on the boat:

• emergency phone numbers, nearest recompression facility
• complete plan with depths/stops/runtime, laminated
• 1st SMB deployed @18m (after 1st gasswitch)
• 2nd SMB deployed @6m
• all SMBs are orange
• yellow SMB: go to the SMB and check if a slate is attached with our notes on it.
• two orange SMBs in a V-shape: same as yellow SMB (2nd orange SMB is sent up on the same line)

The guys on the boat knew how to read a plan, understood which gasswitches were required and why. They timed our dives, knew at which depths we were and when we surfaced, accurate to the minute. The SMBs were an excellent signal to see if we had diverted from the plan.

I think the first part of that is SOP.

The part I proposed was to shoot 1 orange bag at beginning of normal ascent. That would tell the boat all is good. And if they started the ascent early or on time or late, the boat would now know at least their approximate schedule for the remainder of the dive. If the bag is more than 5 minutes (or some agreed upon amount of time) late, then the boat knows something is seriously wrong and to radio the Coast Guard for help (probably a recovery team by the time they would arrive). I will be the only support diver and I'm not qualified to go to the target depth (~240').

Only shoot another bag if it is yellow - to indicate a problem. No slate with a message means "bring gas". Otherwise, attach a slate with a note.

I would meet them at their first gas switch (130') and accompany them from there. Mainly just monitoring for anything unusual. If *I* shoot a yellow bag, then that tells the boat to radio the Coast Guard immediately for assistance.

I don't see what the real purpose would be of sending up additional orange bags. After the first one, I only see a reason to send up another if there is a problem (and thus, a yellow bag). Do you know what their reasoning was for sending up a bag at every gas switch? And why not send one at the start of the ascent?

 

[Miyaru]

We didn't deploy SMBs at every gas switch. Up to 18m/60ft are only short stops, more convenient to do it after the first gasswitch. 6m stop was the longest, more convenient to have your own SMB as a visual reference on dives without an anchor line.
The 18m deployment was a good time marker for the boat to see if we were within the scheduled dive plan.

By the way, the water was clear enough for the guys on the boat to see us at 6m depth.

 

[kensuf]

Why not alert the team that you do not know, and ask them how they want it done? Seriously, communicate with them.

 

[stuartv]

Why not alert the team that you do not know, and ask them how they want it done? Seriously, communicate with them.

Good idea.

Also, the teams or the boat captain may already have a method for doing this that they want to use. Probably do. I haven't gotten a response from the teams yet on that and I won't get to ask the boat captain until the weekend of.